


Thank you, Anytime.

by sensibleshoes28



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, I'm sorry Esteban, Light Angst, M/M, angst if you squint, because these boys need some fluff, lots of dialog, vague timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21995140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sensibleshoes28/pseuds/sensibleshoes28
Summary: “Christian I told you, I like someone else.”A drawn out sigh is heard from the other end of the phone call, “We both know that’s a lie Max, why can’t you just give her a chance?”Taking a deep breath, Max steels himself, “I like Charles. Leclerc.”--Or, Max fake dates Charles to stop a girl from pursuing him, but he might just end up with a real boyfriend in the end anyway.
Relationships: Charles Leclerc/Max Verstappen, Geri Halliwell/Christian Horner, Kimi Räikkönen/Sebastian Vettel, Lando Norris/Carlos Sainz Jr (implied), Pierre Gasly & Charles Leclerc
Comments: 96
Kudos: 401





	1. Secrets

Pressing the base of his palms into his eyes, Sebastian sighs, “I told you, _not even Mattia knows_.”

Charles chokes on air, sputtering out incomprehensible words, “What do you _mean_ Mattia doesn’t know, he knows everything!’

“Well he doesn’t know about this!” Sebastian throws his hands up into the air and a small frown settles onto his face, “and you are not to tell him, or anyone else for that matter.”

Charles whines, dragging a slow hand down his face. Sebastian gives him a pointed look.

“But you know I hate keeping secrets!”

“Well I’ve been doing it for years.”

“That is not something to be proud of.”

“Why not?”

“It’s basically a form of lying!”

“You’re the one who walked in on Kimi and me without knocking!”

Charles lets out a little squeak; “don’t remind me! I need to bleach my eyes now and it’s all _your fault.”_

“What you walked in on was a two-man job, so don’t just blame it on me.” There was now a flicker of amusement behind Sebastian’s eyes as he watched Charles squirm uncomfortably at the mention of his and Kimi’s post-race activities.

Before his younger teammate could respond, Sebastian ruffles his brown hair lightly, “Just keep it a secret alright,” his tone softens; “we don’t want the publicity just yet,”

Charles nods solemnly as Sebastian gets up to exit his motorhome room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

How nice it must be for Sebastian and Kimi to have each other, only a few garages away from loving comfort. He wonders how long they’ve been together, and he wonders how the ever-stoic Iceman had fallen for the friendly German.

He begins to see them in his memories, glued to one another at every GP they’ve attended, whether it be the driver’s parade, the conferences, dinners and even the flights.

He thinks about the fights they must’ve had, the feeling of having to hide from the world.

He thinks about loving someone who understands him, the pressure, the legacy.

His mind wanders as he lies on his back atop the covers of his small bed, legs strewn about haphazardly. He feels a deep tiredness sweep over him, and he falls asleep thinking of a sharp jaw and the dark blue of a red bull suit.

+

Pierre frowns in concentration as Charles scores another goal in FIFA. They’re both seated on the floor with their backs against the edge of the bed, controllers in hand.

He grumbles, “lucky shot.”

Charles slaps Pierre on the back and laughs while placing the controller away, “that would be seven lucky shots then eh?”

“Oui.”

Charles’s hotel room is neat and tidy, his luggage bag tucked into a cupboard and everything is in its place. Pierre slowly lies down on the floor as Charles plops onto the bed, his head thumping onto the soft pillows. The clock ticks in the background, eight-thirty p.m.

They both take in the silence. A rarity when it’s the two of them together.

“You’ve been really quiet today.”

Charles scoffs, “No I haven’t”

“Sure, Charles.”

“I _haven’t”_

“I hAvEn’T”

“Are you five?”

“Are _you_ five? You’re sulking a like a baby!”

Charles sits up straight and sighs, a small pout forming. “I can’t tell you.”

Now it’s Pierre’s turn to sit up, he stares at Charles with wide eyes, “you can’t tell _me_? Since when do you keep secrets?”

His best friend looks away and fiddles with a hangnail. “Since now”

Pierre continues to stare, mouth hanging slightly open.

He can see Charles’s fingers twitching and realises that it must be a serious matter. He’s never really seen Charles this way before, reluctant to share something.

“Hey, its okay, just promise me you’re not in trouble.”

His features change from an empty look to a set of narrowed eyes that glinted with a hint of amusement. “You think I’m in trouble? Is that how you think of me?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“How dare you.”

“Just tell me.” Pierre whines, dragging the last word.

“It’s nothing!”

Squinting, Pierre pinches his cheek, “then why are you blushing. Hah! You like someone.”

Charles now looked as red as his fireproofs. This wasn’t how he was expecting covering for Seb’s secret would be.

Pierre calmed down and smiled softly. He ruffled his best friend’s brown hair and leaned back, “You know you can tell me.”

Charles was thinking overtime now and before he knew it, he was mumbling Max’s name out loud. _There goes the thought that’s been haunting him,_ he thinks.

He sinks into old feelings of rage and anger he felt towards the Dutchman in the first half of the season. Emotions that fuelled dirty thoughts. The fact that with just one sentence; Max manages to make his blood boil in ways no one else is capable of.

Pierre froze and stared, A giggle escaping. “You like your rival? Mon _Dieu_ Charles.”

Looking up, Charles sighs and makes peace with the fact that he’s just blurted out something he’s avoided thinking about for the past two months. _‘For Seb and Kimi’_ he thinks.

“It doesn’t matter, he hates me.”

“Sexy.”

Charles makes a face and Pierre starts singing. “Charles and Max sitting in a tree, K-I-L-L-I-N-G.”

“Mature.”

“Only for you, popstar.”

Instead of a sharp quip, Charles simply smiled, “Merci, Pierre.”

“À tout moment, popstar.”

+

Max is lying on his bed, slumped against his pillows eating a stale pretzel as he watches ‘The Proposal’. It’s eight-thirty at night but he feels drained, passing up an invitation to go out exploring with Antonio, Hulkenburg and Daniel.

He realizes he can hear Charles and Pierre in the room across from him, faint laughter echoes through his door from time to time. He hears a sort of banter and bites his lip, they must be having fun, he thinks. He considers asking the Ferrari prince to shut it but he’s too lazy to move.

He’s almost nodding off, hardly paying attention anymore when his phone rings abruptly. Groaning, he reaches for it and peers at the caller ID.

**_CHRISTIAN_ **

Sighing, Max picks it up and clears his throat, trying to steer away from the fact that he was almost asleep.

“Yeap?”

“Max? Are you busy?”

Staring at Ryan Reynolds holding a dog on screen Max answers, “uh…”

“Remember Eileen?”

Oh no

**~A FEW HOURS EARLIER~**

Practice 1 is about to start in a couple hours and Max has yet to check in with Christian, trundling around the back of the motorhomes with Lando, Alex, George and Pierre.

Loud laughter and guffaws echo along the pathway. Lando is beet red as the rest of them poke fun at him.

Alex snorts, “isn’t it date night tonight?”

“Shut up!” Lando squeaks.

George coos and earns a slap on the back of his head. “Awh come on little Lando, I’m sure Carlos doesn’t appreciate you harassing people.”

“I don’t have a crush on Carlos!”

Pierre giggles and pats his shoulder, “Alright, alright, I’m sure Lando will tell us in good time, he’s a big boy.”

Lando straightens up and grins, “that’s right.” 

Max pushes air out of his nose in a little laugh and Alex whirls in on him. “What about you max, I know u _wike_ someone.”

“Ew.”

“Come on don’t lie, I keep hearing you tell Christian you like someone. He even asked me about it”

Max halts and throws his hands in the air. “He keeps trying to set me up with his niece!”

George raises an eyebrow as Alex slings an arm around his shoulders, Lando has a confused look plastered on his face and Pierre is evidently pressing his lips tight to prevent laughter from escaping.

George is the first to speak, breaking the silence. “if he keeps asking you then you’ll have to prove it to him sooner or later.”

Grumbling, max starts walking again, “Trust me I’ve thought of that.”

The others catch up and Lando pats Max on the back solemnly and grins, “You’ll think of something.”

**~NOW~**

_You’ll think of something._

The Proposal plays in the background, a muted sound.

Lando’s words stick in his head as they mix with Charles’s laughter slipping through the door, short and perfect.

Groggy and tired, a half-formed idea takes place.

His phone crackles a little, “Max? You still there?”

“Christian I told you, I like someone else.”

A drawn out sigh is heard from the other end of the phone call, “We both know that’s a lie Max, why can’t you just give her a chance?”

Taking a deep breath Max steels himself, “I like Charles. Leclerc.”

Silence.

“Christian.”

“Is that - is that why you were so reluctant to tell me who it was?”

“Uh, yes.”

“Alright. Uh _alright_. Yeah. We’ll talk about this tomorrow yeah?”

“Okay.”

“Okay, Max…”

“Goodnight,” he bids, clicking his screen off and tossing his phone onto the nightstand.

If he falls asleep right away listening to deep laughter from the hotel room across from him, nobody would know.


	2. Master plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, you chose me?’
> 
> Max reddens and shuffles his feet, “I heard your voice at night through the walls and I was groggy as fuck and out of my mind, alright.”

**THE NEXT DAY**

The conference room is bustling with people, all set with specific tasks, and Max is only here to look for a specific mechanic. Jeremy needs to sort out the components in the garage before Christian comes to bite him in the ass and _goddamn it is tha-_

“Max!”

Eileen.

“Heeey. Eileen.” Max nods, “Fancy seeing you here.” He adds a slight smile not to be rude.

She rocks on the balls of her heels and places a slender-fingered hand over his shoulder. Her jasmine perfume is overpowering, and he needs to step backwards, but she has a sort of iron grip clasped on him.

“Your timing yesterday was great.” A sly smile.

“Well, we were kinda focused more on race pace.”

“Ah... yeah,” she’s moving closer now and Max is choking for air. He tries to back away again but she just cranes her head to the side and steps further into his personal space.

“I was thinking… we could go out, maybe tonight, to catch up?”

He’s full on panicking now and takes a long step backwards, nodding, “Yeah sure, I’ll ask Daniel and Lando to joi- _oof_ ,” his words are cut off as he bumps into someone behind him. Whirling around he comes face to face with a _very_ handsome Monegasque.

Eileen doesn’t seem to really care and continues pressing, “that’s nice and all but I was thinking of it like a sort of date night.” The sly smile is back.

Max’s eyes are blown wide like a cornered cat in an alleyway and he can feel the gears turning in his head as he stares at Charles, his mind replaying what his sleep-muddled brain had told Christian last night.

Charles seems so confused; his puppy dog eyes are staring at Max and he feels a little guilty for doing this but it was a harmless act. Just for a short while.

“I... uh...” He puts a hand around Charles’s bicep to keep him from running and prays for the best. “That sounds great actually. We can have a little double date!”

A smile creeps up her face slowly and she flutters her eyelashes, “Oh yes, we could invite Sara-“

Max grins and interrupts her, “I just realized you haven’t been introduced to each other,” as he gestures to Charles, who now looks extremely lost.

“Charles, this is Eileen, Christian’s niece.”

Charles’s eyebrows shoot up in question, but he puts on a trademark handsome smile that would woo anybody and shakes her hand. “Nice to meet you.” He says softly.

Max turns to Eileen who’s starting to look displeased and moves closer to Charles’s side. He’s close enough that he can smell a faint hint of lemon myrtle shampoo or cologne wafting off the Ferrari prince.

“Eileen, this is Charles; my boyfriend.”

+

It _worked._ He can’t believe it worked. Fucking hell.

Granted, Charles looks dazed, a _teensy_ bit scared and is now leaning against Max to stabilize himself but, _hey,_ it _worked._

She immediately takes a step back and straightens, chin high in the air. “Oh, well it’s really a pleasure to meet you but I didn’t know… uh… that you two were…”

Max squeezes Charles’s bicep hoping that it would convey some signal like ‘ _please go along with this.’_ He’s about to open his mouth when Charles answers her instead.

“Yeah well, it’s been kept on the downlow from the press. Practically no one knows, but Max seems to trust you enough to know about us.” His accent has thickened two-fold.

Eileen looks thrown off her game and Max is internally celebrating; he’s finally gotten rid of this problem.

Charles flashes her another heart-breaking smile to seal the lie and slips and arm around Max’s waist. “It was so nice to be introduced to you, but would you mind if I stole Max away for a while?”

“Yes of course, go ahead,” She gestures a sort of wave with her hand and smiles, “Be seeing you.”

They wait for her to walk away before turning to each other. Charles turns and drops the hand wrapped around his waist so fast he’s afraid the Monegasque got whiplash. They both try and speak at the same time.

Max clears his throat and Charles blinks, neither saying a word until Charles breaks the silence.

“Did Pierre put you up to this?”

“What? Pierre? Why the hell would Pierre ask me to – “

“Nothing,” he answers quickly, “what the hell was that _about?”_

Max sighs and begins to explain from the top, he tells Charles all about Christian and the phone call, and how Eileen has been trying to hitch a date with him for months.

“So, you chose me?’

Max reddens and shuffles his feet, “I heard your voice at night through the walls and I was groggy as fuck and out of my mind, alright.”

Charles makes an amused face and Max can’t deny how handsome he is with the slight scruff peppering his jaw, head cocked to the side. “Just… if Christian asks you about it, just back me up alright?”

Charles snorts softly and nods, “okay.” 

“Seriously?” Max had expected a fight, like all the ones they had after stressful races and clashes. He expected a sharp tongue and biting remarks, but none came. “Thanks man.”

“Anytime Max.”

+

Pierre and Charles are walking around the city at sundown and Charles is explaining the days events animatedly, waving his hands around to convey just how _fucking crazy it was._

“And are you _sure_ you didn’t tell him anything?” Charles pinches Pierre’s forearm.

Snatching his arm away, Pierre hisses, “Yes, I’m sure! Do you have no faith in me at all?”

“It was like he knew!”

“Max est fou! He’s insane!”

Charles whines and Pierre grins, wiggling his eyebrows, “but, it seems as if you like insane, hmm?”

“ _Pierre.”_

Just as Pierre is about to snap back, his phone rings. They both pull a face, hoping it isn't work related and Pierre struggles to pull the phone out of his front pocket, “ugh,”

He flips the phone around and stares at the screen, “speak of the devil.”

“Huh?”

Pierre picks up the call, “hey Max, you good?”

Charles takes in a quick breath as the phone call goes on, his eyes stuck to the ground.

“Uh…” Pierre stares at Charles, a sort of mischievous twinkle settling in his eyes, “Sure, I guess?” He sticks his arm out and proceeds to hand Charles the phone, “Its for you.”

“What?” Charles hisses, pushing it back, “No!”

“Yes! Just answer it! He doesn’t have your number!” Pierre relents in a harsh whisper.

Charles’s panic look stays on his face as he answers the phone, “Hello?”

The phone is silent for a second before Max replies; “Uh, hey man.”

Charles purses his lips, he realizes he doesn’t really like being called ‘man’ by Max, but that’s his preference. He’s still confused as to why the hell he’s talking to Max on the phone.

“Is everything okay?”

Max sucks in a breath, “yeah so listen, remember that girl? Eileen?”

“Mmhm. Yes, how could I forget.” Heavy sarcasm dripping down his words.

“She’s invited us out on a double date – well no, it’s a triple date with her, her date, Christian and his wife.”

Well, he’s stunned, but he’s sort of dreamed of this scenario before. A bit of self-indulgence in the middle of the night. He still can’t believe it.

“So… that means…?”

“We gotta go on this triple date. She’s already booked a place and Christian is looking forward to it.” Max's voice is pitching higher and higher.

Charles’s heart is beating so fast the sound echoes in his ears, he can hardly think straight. He wants so desperately to say yes but a small part of his mind nags him;

_You’re not good enough_

_You’re not who everyone wants you to be_

_He hates you_

This was a fake dating sort of scenario and he knows he would eventually get hurt, but he shoves those thoughts deep into his mind and takes a long deep breath.

“Okay.”

“Okay? Really? Shit, I didn’t think you’d say yes.”

“Yes,” Charles laughs, “When is it?”

“Tonight. Nine.”

He groans, “But I have plans tonight, I’m out with Pierre.”

Pierre, who has been staring in amusement throughout the entire conversation; perks up at his name, and makes a shooing gesture, signalling Charles that it was okay to hang out with Max.

“I’m sure Pierre won’t mind being separated from you for a little while.” Max’s grumbled.

“I… yeah okay, I’ll tell him.”

“I’ll pick you up from your room. Thank you, Charles.” Max breathes.

“Anytime Max.”

He shoves the phone into Pierre’s jacket pocket and looks away.

Pierre laughs evilly and starts singing, “Charles and Max, sitting in a tree.”

The city lights are bright now and Charles steels himself for a night out with Max. How bad could it be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two dumb love-struck boys? check.
> 
> An A+ wing-man? check.
> 
> Some grammatical error I probably overlooked? check.


	3. Fancy Enough?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He realizes he’s been staring, raking his eyes over Charles’s figure and decides to own up to it, letting his gaze linger. ‘Might as well,’ he thinks, ‘Not likes its gonna make any difference to Charles.’

He’s panicking. He’s staring at himself in the mirror and he’s panicking. Is he supposed to wear a suit? Maybe just a casual blazer and pants? A tie?

He glances at the clothes laid out on his bed and sighs, less than half an hour to go.

Looks like he needs help.

He doesn’t know _why_ he’s called them. It’s not like they’re fashion experts or anything, its just that they provide him with some much-needed comfort. Sue him.

A couple minutes later the doorbell rings and he opens the door to a very eager looking Seb and a pleasantly calm Kimi who gives him a nod.

Before he can say a word, Sebastian drags Kimi to the heart of the room and points a finger straight at Charles.

“So! Who’s the lucky date?” he proclaims.

“It’s complicated.” He really doesn’t want to explain the situation again.

Sebastian plops down onto an armchair and Kimi opts to sit at the edge of the bed, making himself busy by shuffling through Charles’s clothes.

“Complicated? That’s a lovely name.”

Charles and Kimi both groan at the same time and Sebastian grins at their reaction, eyes crinkling in triumph.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so proud of himself,” Kimi muses, staring at his ex-teammate with what Charles can only describe as a mix of adoration and disgust.

Charles snorts and gestures to the clothes, “lets get to the point; which is; I don’t have anything to wear.”

Sebastian makes a face and huffs, “what you’re wearing is fine.”

“Seb, I’m wearing a flannel shirt and track pants.” He can’t disguise the humour and disbelief that creeps up in his voice.

Squinting his eyes until his crow’s feet become prominent, Sebastian leans forward, “I thought they were jeans.”

While all this was going on, Kimi had begun putting aside a set of clothes, laying a potion on his lap. He silently stares at the clothes, mixing and matching until he’s satisfied.

He stands up to grab Charles’s attention and hands him a black turtleneck, dark grey blazer and fitted pants.

“Always look sharp.”

Charles flashes him a smile and goes on to try on the set in the bathroom. After he’s done, he raises his eyebrows in question and smiles as he’s getting appreciative nods from both drivers.

“Sleek and mature,” Sebastian comments, “reminds me of my red bull days.”

Kimi makes a noise and side-eyes Sebastian, “This another one of your jokes?”

“uh…”

“Seb…” Kimi chides, smiling as Sebastian winks at him. Charles wonders if they’ve been this way for years. Perhaps Kimi was a little closed off, or Seb somewhat childish when they first met. They’ve worked everything out side by side.

Sometimes he feels guilty; for taking Kimi’s seat and coming in between the two. He’s the reason they have less time to spend with each other. He was the cause of their arguments late last year. Now, watching them at ease with each other, a natural aura of just pure love oozes from them, he feels like everything turned out alright.

Charles clears his throats through a hint of a smile and inclines his head in a sort of bow. “Thank you, it means a lot to me.”

He hasn’t had these kinds of interactions with anyone after Jules and his father. Fatherly bonding. These interactions might not mean as much with Kimi and Seb; but he treasures them. People might judge too quickly and write off Sebastian as his enemy or worse. But he remembers all that his father and godfather taught him; _‘what happens on track, stays on track.’_

Kimi gives him a soft smile and Sebastian gets up to pat him on the shoulder, “Anytime little one, we’ll always be close if you need us.”

He feels warm inside.

Just as they’re about to leave his hotel room, he hears three consecutive impatient knocks on his door that can only mean one thing.

Before he can even open his mouth, the door is ajar - courtesy of Seb - and the three of them are staring at Max.

Sebastian and Kimi’s eyes are fixed on a – dare he say – handsome looking Max. Sebastian coughs out a little laugh, and even Kimi raises an intimidating eyebrow to Charles. He’s afraid now; of the outcome.

Max clears his throat and sniffs, amusement evident in his eyes. “What is this? A ‘I’ve been fucked by Ferrari club meeting’?” Charles snorts, he’s never really met anyone with such blatant humour as Max.

Sebastian laughs, and being the friendliest driver on the grid; grabs Max by the forearm and pats him on the back, grinning all the while. “take care of our little prince, eh?” he says, turning around to wink at Charles.

Kimi follows Seb out the door and grumbles a “have fun boys,” his accent thick, causing the words to stick together, but Charles can hear him just fine.

Cheeks aflame, he turns to Max who’s now standing right in the middle of his room. His hair is all gelled up except for a lose curl by his temple and his tie is the faintest bit crooked. Charles give him a smile – he finds it _weirdly_ easy to smile at Max – and gestures to his clothes. “Fancy enough?”

\+ 

“Fancy enough?”

Max can feel heat rising up his neck and he breathes out slowly, staring at Charles. He hates the way how perfect everything about him is. To the was his blazer falls, his neat but at the same time messy hair, and the boyish expression on his face.

Sometimes he thinks its _too perfect_. Maybe an act, and he’s seen flashes of rage emanating from him on track, pure fire. But he’s also seen him hold his perfect smile up as a mask, hoping that no one can see the way his face falls when he’s alone sometimes. The pressure that’s been heaved onto his shoulders clad in red.

He gets it.

He realizes he’s been staring, raking his eyes over Charles’s figure and decides to own up to it, letting his gaze linger. ‘ _Might as well_ ,’ he thinks, ‘ _Not likes its gonna make any difference to Charles.’_

+

_What In the fuck. Quelle merde._ Charles thinks, regretting letting Seb and Kimi choose his clothes. Max must think he looks like a clown to be contemplating his answer for so long. Perhaps his fashion sense has been tainted by them, _oh God no._

+

Max holds the door open and tilts his head towards the corridor outside. “Dressed to impressed eh? Don’t worry, you look fine.”

He looked _really_ goddamn fine. Which is obviously; none of his business.

Charles lips curl up in a lopsided smile and raises a finger gun in pose. “Say so yourself, Mr James Bond.”

They’ve never really talked like this. Poking fun at each other, he realizes its nice, and he can’t keep from wishing for more.

“That makes you a Bond girl.”

More.

“I have the fashion sense for it.”

_More._

“Like you and your stupid beanies? Every time I see you; there’s a monstrosity on your head.” He realizes he’s laughing with ease; he feels comfortable.

“You’re the one to talk!” His accent is like a song playing in Max’s ear, “You keep wearing your Red Bull Cap all the time. Do you wear it in the shower?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” He quips as Charles wears his dress shoes.

Charles looks up and he has an expression of pure amusement where his eyebrows are raised high and his mouth is open slightly to reveal the beginnings of a grin.

“Talk like that and Horner will kick us out early.”

“Oh, I’m counting on it.” He could get used to this. Charles stands up and hooks an elbow through his arm and says in a thickly sweet voice; “Let’s go _babe_.”

This time, Max can feel his face heating up and fakes a deep bow to hide it, “This is gonna be fun.”

They reach the restaurant – undeniably expensive – and find themselves sitting next to each other across from Eileen. Christian and Geri sit at opposite ends of the table.

They all shake hands and hug, Charles as charming as usual and Max as snarky as usual.

Christian smiles at Charles and asks how he’s doing with Sebastian. Charles gives answers that he gives to the press with practiced ease and Max listens on, a little envious of how Charles carries himself. But maybe, a little less envious than he was before.

He notices that Eileen’s date is missing, and he presses his lips into a tight smile, ready to make conversation. “Not to pry, but, do you have a date coming?”

She looks at the time on her phone and smiles, “he should be here anytime now.”

Geri tucks a curl of straight light – blond hair behind her ear and gestures to both Charles and Max the moment Christian stops talking. “So, Christian tells me you’re both an item,” she gestures excitedly, “This is a big deal, right?”

Max and Charles look at each other, each silent begging the other to answer whatever the hell that means. Charles kicks his calf under the table, but Max doesn’t give in and kicks him right back. Charles has a look of pure betrayal painted ever so slightly on his face, and turns to Geri, laughing politely; “Uh, Well, I guess so, it would have an impact on certain things but we still treat each other no differently on track.”

Max nods along and laughs, “He gives me a headache on track.”

Charles makes a sound, “same thing could be said about you!”

Just as they’re having fun, someone pulls out the seat beside Eileen and greet them; “Hi everyone, sorry I’m late.”

Esteban _fucking_ Ocon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All i can say is, i'm sorry this took as long as it did.
> 
> And Esteban is here purely for plot purposes. 
> 
> And I had to have a Kimi+Seb segment because without them, I never would've discovered this F1 fanfic family :)
> 
> I hope you liked it enough!


	4. Penalties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warm and grounded. Charles keeps him grounded to reality. Something he desperately needs.

He can sense Charles shifting in his seat but he doesn’t care. He stares at Esteban, who’s just sat down and made himself comfortable, then back to Christian. He sputters, trying to form words, but ends up failing spectacularly. Charles seems a little lost, staring at Esteban incredulously. “Christian,” Max starts, “Are you serious?”

His boss sighs and looks away for a moment, as if he’s trying to gain strength. “Max if you could just wait a moment and – “

“And _what?_ You knew he was coming? And you said yes?” He’s livid now, talking as if Esteban isn’t sitting right across from him. 

Geri and Eileen keep quiet, Charles leans in closer to him places a strong grip around his forearm to ground him.

Christian sighs and rubs at his temple, “I would’ve thought you’ve outgrown this. More mature, like you’ve shown the team this year.”

That stings Max like never before. He knows he’s improved; he knows he’s better now, but Esteban makes his blood boil to a fever. He can hold in his expressions on race weeks but other than that he'd rather not think about Esteban. People may think he hates Charles in their rivalry on track, but they get along behind the scenes. Esteban on the other hand, reminds him of things he would much rather forget.

Like now, for instance.

Esteban cocks his head to the side and lets out an airy laugh. “Come one Max, you can get past it, it’s not that hard.” He shakes his head a little and Max thinks although he and Charles might share the same accent, he widely prefers to hear Charles speaking. “Like you’ve always said, it was just a racing incident.”

Max feels as if he’s about to flip the table in front of him, but Charles opens his mouth, “You were not racing him though?” he feigns a light tone. The shadow of a chuckle is heard from the back of his throat. He doesn't deserve Charles. 

Esteban huffs and waves a hand, “Like I said, past is past, we both made some mistakes. Now, we can get to know each other better, maybe Dan can spin some tales about you when we’re both teammates.”

Another sore spot.

Max stands and Christian starts to protest. Geri; whose been silent this whole time alongside Eileen gives Max a pitiful glance.

Esteban might be right; they've both made mistakes, but Max has improved. He's not going to let Esteban ruin everything he's built up from that incident.

He’s about to stomp out without saying anything, determined that he can sort this out with Christian tomorrow, when Charles’s hand slips down his forearm into his palm, intertwining their fingers.

Warm and grounded. Charles keeps him grounded to reality. Something he desperately needs.

Charles smiles softly, lips quite not curled all the way up, “we’re going to excuse ourselves if you don’t mind.” And proceeds to lead Max out of the restaurant and into the cool city air.

They walk together aimlessly in the dark, crossing the large threshold of a park. Max squeezes Charles’s hand tightly as a thank you. Strangely, there’s not many people out so he loosens up a little and lets his thoughts churn. He knows he should be confused, what he and Charles mean to each other as of now, but for now he feels his anger simmer down into a low flame, calming down.

+

Charles is trying to keep his palm from sweating and fidgeting. He doesn’t want to scare Max away when he himself is terrified of what’s going to happen next. The streets are empty and dark as they pad along a pathway through some gardens.

_Will he be ignored?_ he wonders, _Or, will everything go back to the way it was._

They walk in comfortable silence, Charles is patient, letting Max cool down what’s left of his anger from early on. He lets his mind wander, craving to call Kimi and Sebastian for advice. They’d definitely know how to handle this and even though they’re not here right now, he’s grateful for so much that they’ve given him.

He couldn’t have had the year he’s had without them.

He thinks of everything that’s led him here.

He thinks of Jules.

His father.

His best friend.

He thinks of a 12-year-old Max glaring at him after a sprint race.

He thinks of his father who urged him to shake Max’s hand in truce. ‘ _what happens on track; stays on track.’_

His thoughts are halted when Max speaks with a certain softness he didn’t know existed. “You okay?”

Charles whistles, trying to seem upbeat but inevitably and absolutely destroys the mood, “Yes sir.” He salutes and winces internally at himself.

Max snorts and bumps their shoulders together, causing Charles to veer off the sidewalk and onto grass. “Whoops.” Max says.

“And Max Verstappen pushes Leclerc off the track to gain a position,” Charles laughs. “Will the stewards do something about this?”

Max stares at him with an expression that he can recognize but quite can’t put his finger on. Charles continues his charade; jumping back onto the pathway, “and Leclerc is back on track! Will the dashing Monegasque catch up with the equally dashing Dutchman, or will he be given a penalty?” he tugs on Max’s hand.

Max doesn’t stop staring so he looks up imploringly and they both halt in the middle of the path.

Charles places his free hand on Max’s shoulder and smiles lopsidedly, the air is crisp and he can hear the faint rumble of thunder far away. Max has freckles dusting his nose and cheeks that stand out in the yellow glow of the streetlamps.

Time slows down for him and he feels the same rush of adrenaline race through his heart now as he does in a race. He can feel Max’s breath on his cheeks now and his eyes become lidded, long eyelashes fluttering with the gentle wind.

+

Max is so close to Charles’s face now he can smell what’s left of his perfume, he can see every small detail on Charles’s face and he’s never felt so _alive._

His lips are centimeters away, their breaths mingling together in a little dance. After what seems like an eternity, their lips are so close its almost absurd that they don’t touch, even for a millisecond. Max feels his heart implode with the name _Charles._ He’s about to lean in ever so slightly more when Charles pulls away before their lips can brush together.

He feels his heart drop to the ground. His skin no longer feels warm.

Charles breathes out a long breath that sounds like a sigh and stares at Max, eyes raking all over his face. He’s about to stomp away, wallow in his sadness and embarrassment when Charles whispers;

“Max Verstappen has been given a ten second penalty.”

_What the fu-_

His thoughts are interrupted when Charles whispers again;

“Ten.”

He’s so confused.

“Nine.”

Charles leans in a little closer.

“Eight.”

The gears are clicking in his head slowly.

“Seven.”

_That little shit,_ he thinks.

“Six.”

The amusement is now evident in Charles’s voice.

“Five.”

He can smell the peppermint of Charles’s toothpaste now.

“Four.”

He doesn’t think he can restrain himself any longer.

“Three.”

He can’t.

Max surges forward to meet Charles, their lips crashing together in a way that would make even his 2018 Azerbaijan crash with Daniel seem minuscule in comparison.

They’re hasty, teeth clashing in fervor, breaths coming in fast. They’re making out like a couple of horny teenagers in the middle of a dark park and Max couldn’t be happier.

Max bites down on Charles’s lip, then licks it in penance, asking for a way in. Charles opens up to him and groans immediately as Max licks a seam in his mouth.

Charles’s hands roam his torso and eventually grip onto his collar, pulling them closer together.

Time slows down and they pull away from each other with swollen lips and heavy breathing. Charles leans their foreheads together and rubs his nose with Max’s.

Twice.

He places a small kiss on Charles’s throat and keeps his lips there while mumbling; “and they’ve made contact on track.”

The sound of laughter that he can feel vibrating through his lips that are pressed to Charles’s throat is what he wants forever.

Max has never really thought of many people in a sense of which he thinks about his so called _rival_. He thinks of the championship fights they’re going to have, the incidents and the wins.

He lifts his head in time to catch a handsome roguish grin directed his way; “Ready for a full race? The venue this weekend is my hotel room.”

He’s never been more excited for what’s to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, its been 64 years and 2020 has been a roller coaster so far. I just wanted to post this amid the Covid -19 situation to lighten things up. I hope it helped you even a little bit and thank you for taking time to read it. Let me know if you'd like a sort of continuation because I love these boys!
> 
> I pray for you and your family's health and safety, please remember to Wash Your Hands :)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work with this pairing and i just love these boys. I'm so sorry if there are any mistakes, i just had to write this because these two boys deserve some fluff among all the angst. I hope it was readable!


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